Posts in Category: Sewing and Stitchery Expo

I'm so excited for 2018! I really think this is going to be a big year for me. Thanks for following me on this journey!

So, I did my first Facebook LIVE video today, and I liked it! I'll post it as soon as I can teach myself how to download it from Facebook and upload it here. Rut-roh!!! The sound was horrible so I deleted the video. However, I figured out how to upload it here the next time!

Are you interested in taking a class from me in the Hagerstown, Maryland area? I'd love to teach you how to make the Cell Phone Wallet from Hold Everything Purses, Totes and More! written by Pam Damour and Betty Mitchell. I am now a Certified National Educator for Pam Damour!

We are just over a week into the New Year and I wanted to check in with you to see how you are doing with keeping up with your New Year's resolution?

I love New Years because it represents a time to begin anew! Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, I like to set goals. Sometimes goals and resolutions can seem overwhelming and down right impossible at first. Right? I want to share with you the tricks and tools that help to keep me on track.

Nine Simple Steps for Goals & Resolutions

Set yourself up for success by making a plan.

Think about how you can make your resolution or goal doable, even if it seems impossible.

Write it down your resolution or goal! I have these beautiful planners to help me plan and write it all down.

Break it down into achievable steps. Maybe this is a long to-do list with your resolution broken down into tiny baby steps. Write them all down. You can give yourself a big shiny star for each step you complete. I like to play mind games with myself to keep it fun and interesting.

Schedule time for your resolution or goal and make it a priority. Even a little bit of time is better than none at all. Even one baby step or 15 minutes makes a difference over time.

Set a deadline for yourself.

Show up and put in the effort. This may sound silly to list, but planning alone won’t get your closer to your resolution or goal. You have to do something.

Visualize reaching your goal or resolution frequently.

Review your list regularly. You may find that you have time to do a little more than you originally planned.

It’s NEVER too late to start…or start over!

“Sew” what are my goals? Most of them are business related intertwined with sewing! I have one sewing related project that is on the short list.

I’m involved in a round robin wearable art jacket challenge, and my deadline is coming up soon. We selected a collection of fabric as our inspiration. In this case it was a range of white to black Fairy Frost fabrics by Michael Miller.

We each designed our jacket backs using any colors from that range. We could add other colors to our jacket backs for a “pop” of color.

After we finished our jacket backs, we passed it on with all of the material and thread to the next person. The next person makes one side and the opposite sleeve. When that person is finished, she passes it to the last person.

So this is what I received. The back is pieced together using a technique called bargello, and has an appliquéd flower. Bargello looks like it would be very challenging, but it's actually quite easy. You will be surprised at how simple it is.

The front panel is pieced and positioned at an angle, which creates a really nice look when worn. If you look closely, you will see some piecing that looks similar to the saw tooth pattern. There's a pocket with an appliquéd flower on it, and will be permanently sewn in place at the wearer's desired position.

Here’s a sneak peak of my progress so far. I am making the opposite front panel and sleeve. I chose to do a play on water color piecing. This was not as easy as it might seem. Since I am the last person to receive this jacket, I have less fabric to work with. That's part of the challenge. Luckily, I had just enough fabric to make this work for both the front panel and sleeve.

Here's a picture of the front panel I made with the other finished pieces. I'm pleased with my progress so far. Stay tuned for a picture when I'm finished!

Once I finish the jacket challenge, I need to prepare for a couple classes that I am teaching this year. In March, I will be in Puyallup, Washington and will be demonstrating how to use Sulky Iron-On Transfer pens in the “Transfer It with Iron-On Transfer Pens” class. This is going to be "sew" much fun!!!!

The other class, "Know Your Thread Weight" is a stage presentation. The Sewing and Stitchery Expo is March 2-5, 2017, in Puyallup, Washington. If you are there, be sure to look for me at the Sulky booth, or on stage and say hello! I hope to be teaching a couple classes at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Cleveland, Ohio, but I haven’t received confirmation yet.

On a personal note, since we recently moved and I want to sew some simple home dec projects to give our house our personal touch. I’ll be sure to share them with you as I make them. Can you believe I won’t let myself start making anything for the house until I can give myself a gold star for the the first two projects on my list!

I love hearing from my Sewing Friends. Did you you make any New Year’s resolutions, re-SEW-lutions or goals for 2017 that you would like to share with me? I hope you can apply my 9 Simple Steps for Goals and Resolutions, and make the sewing or quilting projects that you dream of making this year!